Diplomatic Passports Row: NPP Takes Complaint to US Embassy as Protest Looms

A dispute over diplomatic and service passports has moved from Accra to the US Embassy. The Daily Gist front page of 2 November 2026 reports under the headline "Diplomatic Passports For Sale: NPP Petitions US Embassy," with Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa pictured. The allegations come from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and have not been proven.

The party's core complaint concerns six people. The NPP cited two Ministry of Foreign Affairs letters approving service passports for six persons described as officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation and the Fisheries Commission, and says none of them holds the position attributed to them.

In two cases, it says, the positions do not exist. The party asked the US embassy in Accra on 30 October 2026 to tighten checks on Ghanaian official passports.

The party wants action at home too. It has called on the government to suspend all diplomatic and service passports issued to people who do not hold qualifying offices, publish a full list of such passports issued since January 2025, and commission an independent audit led by the Auditor-General. The matter is escalating.

The NPP has announced a nationwide demonstration on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, demanding Mr Ablakwa's removal, though the claims against him have not been established and remain subject to investigation.

Whether passports were "for sale" is the sharpest claim in the Daily Gist headline. In the reports I found, the NPP's formal complaint is that the approvals rest on wrongly described positions.

The law sets the test. The Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155), limits diplomatic and service passports to people actively engaged in official state business. The government has also pointed to its own record of enforcement.

The Ministry revoked the diplomatic and service passports of people no longer in government roles, and 407 diplomatic and 403 service passports were returned before the deadline.

In a related controversy, a government-aligned MP said Mr Ablakwa rejected an NPP figure's passport request because his former party and board positions did not qualify him for a service passport.

At the time of reporting, the Foreign Ministry had not publicly answered the claim that the six holders lack the posts listed. Until it does, and until the lists and any audit are made public, the public has only competing claims. The issue is also not new.

Official passports have been misused in migration rackets before, which is why strict vetting matters to Ghana's standing with partners like the United States.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

References
Graphic Online, "NPP on Ghanaian diplomatic, service passports issued to persons who do not hold official positions on behalf of the state," 31 Oct 2026. graphic.com.gh

Adom Online, "NPP to stage 'Y3gye Y3 Sika' protest over Ablakwa evacuation and passport controversies." adomonline.com

The Rio Times, "Ghana Passports Face US Check Over 6 Cases." riotimesonline.com

Class FM, "Ghana revokes diplomatic and service passports of former officials and non-state actors." classfmonline.com

MyJoyOnline, "Nana B passport claims a diversionary tactic – Abu Jinapor." myjoyonline.com

The Daily Gist, Issue 119/2026, 2 Nov 2026, front page (see page 2)